Celestial Official!

"Brother-in-law! Those two guys miscalculated. Now only you can help me!"

The night was deep and still, like water.

A hoarse voice, like a pebble thrown into a lake, rippled through the night.

Outside the carving workshop, Lü Mao looked at Xu Hui, who seemed lost in thought, and felt a headache coming on. He tried to comfort him:

"I've also heard about what happened at the Forging Institute."

"Yan Chen is a talented individual. The method he devised for forging materials can indeed alleviate the urgent needs of the Gold Melting Valley. It's not unfair that you were outdone by him."

"But I just can't accept it..."

Xu Hui squatted on the ground, his voice hoarse, and poured out his grievances:

"I thought that life after joining the Jade Sleeve Sect would be about meditating, practicing martial arts, listening to sermons, and living the life of an immortal like in a storybook. Who would have thought it would be like this?"

"Brother-in-law, do you know that every day when I come back from the Forging Academy, I feel like my whole body is a lump of dough, and I just want to lie down and rest immediately, so how can I talk about cultivating the Tao and changing my fate!?"

"In short, I can't live like this, like animals, for even a single day longer!"

Hearing these childish, tantrum-like words, Lü Mao frowned slightly.

But remembering a certain gentle and virtuous woman, his tone softened as he said:

"Being the manager of Cui Shu Lou is indeed a good job. On the surface, he only manages Cui Shu Lou, but in reality, the circulation of goods in all the shops of Xu Chun Fang will pass through his hands."

"In other words, controlling Cui Shu Lou is equivalent to controlling the entire Xu Chun Fang."

"But there are no simple benefits in this world. Do you know that there are heretical cultivators lingering in the area within dozens of miles outside the Fragrant Branch Forest of Xuchunfang?

"While the sweet potatoes in the pot are delicious, be careful not to burn your hands!"

Upon hearing the words "heretical cultivators," a strange light flashed in Xu Hui's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, and he said with certainty:

"Don't worry, brother-in-law, I'm prepared!"

"Since that's the case..."

Lu Mao sighed inwardly. Even though he still didn't believe Xu Hui was capable of managing the Cui Shu Lou restaurant, he had no choice but to speak up:

"I met Cui Yuan a while ago. This fellow is the kind of person who won't do anything without a profit. He has quite the appetite. Although he didn't say it outright, based on my judgment..."

"At least 20,000 yuan is needed to pave the way!"

Lü Mao sighed:

"I've raised some money myself, and I can only come up with a maximum of ten thousand coins. As for the other ten thousand..."

"Ten thousand coins?"

Xu Hui's mind raced, and he immediately nodded emphatically:

"Don't worry, brother-in-law, someone will prepare the money for us!"

……

The following day, inside the Forging Institute.

Something's strange today.

As the end of the workday approached, Supervisor Qu did not appear. In the end, the middle-aged man from before was still in charge of inspecting the sword blanks and distributing wages.

The servants in the courtyard discussed this matter quite a bit, but the three words that appeared most frequently in their conversations were "resources and land".

Yan Chen heard a lot of rumors throughout the day, saying that in the past few days, the Gold Melting Valley was preparing to send mortal servants from the three academies to cultivate a certain resource land.

However, being new to the area, he had limited experience and didn't really understand the intricacies of the situation.

Therefore, after leaving the Forging Academy, he specially took Li Xuanyi to the Toad Cave, where he spent three days' wages to set up a small stone table with spiritual meat and spiritual grains. In an instant, the aroma filled the air, making people's mouths water.

The reason for this is partly to repay Senior Brother Li for his care over the past period of time.

I also wanted to know some information about the source of materials.

Inside the noisy Toad Cave, Yan Chen sniffed hard. Before even taking a bite, his blood and energy were already slightly agitated.

This is the benefit of spiritual flesh and spiritual grain. It contains pure spiritual energy, which can cleanse the body, open the meridians and relax the muscles. It is quite beneficial for cultivators in the early stage of Qi Refining.

Li Xuanyi said, half-jokingly:

"It's rare for Junior Brother Yan to be so generous. Senior Brother, I'd like a pot of the famous wine from Toad Cave. I hope Junior Brother won't mind the expense?"

The so-called "famous jar of fine wine" is actually a jar of fine wine called "Azure Nectar".

It is said that its brewing process was created by Wuxin, the head of Danlan Valley. It is brewed by sealing jars with spiritual grains, fruits and medicines. Every hundred days is called "awakening", and it can only be opened after a full "nine awakenings".

Therefore, it is extremely precious, and its effects on cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining are comparable to those of pills costing hundreds of magic coins.

A pot the size of a palm costs a full five hundred fa coins!

"Senior Brother Li, are you trying to 'prick a toad and make it piss'?"

Yan Chen cried out in despair.

"Hahaha! Alright, alright, this pot of wine is on me, senior brother!"

Li Xuanyi was quite bold. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the waiter and ordered a pot of "Jade Nectar".

Yan Chen sighed inwardly. In this Jade Sleeve Outer Gate, which was like a "sweatshop," it was truly not an easy thing to gain a few genuine and caring people.

Li Xuanyi didn't stand on ceremony with his junior brother Yan. He picked up his rice bowl and started shoveling food into his mouth, occasionally reaching for two pieces of fatty pork belly. The sound of chopsticks and bowls never stopped.

Yan Chen was not to be outdone. Since it was a rare occasion to indulge in such a luxury, he couldn't be coy. He immediately ate heartily, as if the wind had swept away the clouds.

Both of them were cultivators in the early stage of Qi Refining, and their demand for spiritual energy was extremely high.

Therefore, in less than a quarter of an hour, the entire table of food was completely devoured, and the bowls, plates, chopsticks and bowls were sparkling clean, without a single crumb.

Yan Chen patted his round belly, quietly circulating his true energy to digest the spiritual essence within and nourish his body.

At the same time, he asked:

"The Gold-Melting Valley will be sending ordinary servants to cultivate the resource-rich lands. Senior Brother Li, do you know what these resource-rich lands... mean?"

"I was just about to tell you about this."

Li Xuanyi let out a burp, wiped his mouth, and said:

"The Jade Sleeve Sect is based in Nanmu Immortal Prefecture and holds the orthodox lineage of the Southern Zhuo region. Therefore, all the mountains, rivers, feng shui veins, etc. of this area are resources for the Dharma lineage!"

"The so-called 'resource land' is a piece of land monopolized by the Jade Sleeve Cultivator, selected by the Three Valleys Administrator, and finally demarcated by local clans and Taoist scholars."

"All the resources of this land, such as land, minerals, trees, springs, silkworms, herbs, livestock, and people, all belong to Yu Xiu."

"Ordinary people who wish to live or farm here must pay a 'Taoist tax,' otherwise they are considered to be disobeying the orthodox teachings and can be classified as 'heretical,' and will be directly killed!"

hiss--

Although he was already aware of the domineering nature of the Daoist tradition, Yan Chen still couldn't help but gasp when he heard the definition of "resources and land".

Forcibly demarcating territory, levying exorbitant "road taxes," and plundering "resources"... Such behavior is not quite righteous, but rather has a bit of the style of "demonic ways."

Before the thought even finished, the pot of "Jade Nectar" finally arrived, and was placed on the table by the waiter.

Li Xuanyi picked up the small pot, first poured himself a small half-cup, and then filled Yan Chen's cup to the brim.

The water lines were crystal clear and hung continuously, like a flawless spring, cascading down from the top of Tianchi Peak.

Yan Chen's nostrils twitched slightly, and an indescribable, mellow fragrance made him feel as if he were in the spring breeze of March, warm and refreshing.

He immediately raised his glass and drank it all. The wine was fragrant and sweet on the palate, but then his throat burned as if he had swallowed molten copper.

But the next moment, his whole body felt like a furnace, a warm feeling rising from his blood and bones, an indescribable sense of comfort and lightness.

"Excellent wine!"

Yan Chen gave a big thumbs up, and then downed two more cups in a row. His face flushed red, and his blood and qi surged.

"This wine is good, but Junior Brother Yan should still drink it in moderation!"

Li Xuanyi shook his head. Junior Brother Yan had not yet reached the first level of Qi Refining, so this wine was still a bit too strong for him.

Yan Chen laughed heartily, as if to release the pent-up frustration of the past few days, and recited:

"With wine flowing freely, my heart is still open and bold; my cheeks are flushed, what does it matter!"

……

Meanwhile, outside the Forging Academy.

The sky was dark, with clouds piled up.

Xu Hui strode towards a brightly lit, warm and cozy house.